Product description

Trying to eradicate terrorism is a quixotic quest that does not focus on those responsible for 9/11. Charles Pena argues that America's national security strategy should consist of three central elements: establishing homeland security against further attacks; dismantling the al Qaeda terrorist network; and, enacting a foreign policy that does not attract new al Qaeda terrorists. If we misdiagnose al Qaeda's motivations or focus military efforts on the wrong targets, then we run the risk that the war against al Qaeda will become a broader war against the Islamic world that could last generations. This book includes a foreword by Michael Scheuer, the bestselling author of "Imperial Hubris".

Author information

Charles Pena is a senior fellow with the Independent Institute, the Coalition for a Realistic Foreign Policy, and the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute. He is also an adviser on the Straus Military Reform Project and the former director of defense policy studies at the Cato Institute. Pena is the coauthor of Exiting Iraq: Why the U.S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War Against Al Qaeda. He lives in Arlington, Virginia.

Review quote

." . . .thorough and well documented. . . . a level-headed and persuasive analysis of al Qaeda issues and the realities of the war on terrorism. If a reader desires insight into U.S. mistakes on fighting the war on terrorism since 9/11 and ways to fix them, this book comes highly recommended."